Two branches on the same tree going different ways
by The female King
Summary: There is a saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but does one apple fall next to another? Do they go different ways? This occurs in this family where both siblings are dragged apart by love, friends, altering beliefs, and eventually war. Will they ever cross paths again? Bellona hopes so but somewhere down the track they have walked so far from each other she doesn'


**This story will be updated weekly. It is based mainly on the concept of light and dark in a family, I was given this family. IF YOU GUESS THE FAMILY, IT IS PRETTY EASY, REVIEW. I want to portray how despite having the same upbringing, the influences in your life can affect you differently to how it will affect your sibling, if you have one. This is a chapter written about pre-Hogwarts where you can see differences emerging already in the two siblings; list them if you find them in a review. The sibling's form different relationships with different people and their altering personalities, beliefs and morals will begin to emerge because of this. James Potter will be in this story, he may not be a huge part in the beginning but certainly he will be in future chapters, so will Lily, Remus, Sirius, Lucius and other characters. I have an OC because this family only had a single child and it is told in her point of view because the other sibling's story is told mainly, already, in the cannon. It will stray from cannon in some aspects and will not in others.**

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Life has funny ways is a thought she has always had.

Tangled in dark russet sheets that curled around her waist she sits on her small bed, her hand running through the twists and knots in her liquid black hair. Her white cotton night gown hangs loosely on her small, overly slender body and grime remains smeared across her cheeks.

Her midnight blue eyes remain fixated on the scene outside her bedroom window; the crescent moon floating above a puff of clouds mainly captures her view, more so than the twinkling diamonds.

Everything in life seems surreal, beautiful, and serene when you just stop and stare, marvel at the creations of the world. But everything in her life is a direct contrast. Sure, the scattered rubbish, smashed glass and tangling weeds taint the pure picture but the imperfection just makes it more beautiful, more real. Her life is overflowing with poverty, physical and verbal abuse, and neglect; the imperfections make her life imperfect, not something you can gawk at with pure appreciation of the beauty.

Her life is a master piece smeared by the tragedies of life, one so young filled with hope and aspirations crushed by the reality of life, of her situation.

Sometimes she dreamed of a loving home filled with warmth, joy and never ending laughter blooming within.

Other times she clings to the images of being cuddled in a dark alley, rummaging through trash for food, sleeping out in the rain, anything to make her life appear more than it is.

But she has to let go of those and let reality crush its arms around her; let it choke the hope, the deep yearning out until she is a crumbled mess of tears.

"But that's how life is," her brother once explained, his own eyes of pure coal emptied of the youthful glow, hope and aspirations every child usually has, "Life isn't a silly fairy tale, it's a tragedy where you have to hope you can find consolation, warmth or even someone to be miserable with."

An image of red locks, as straight as the ruler her fingers are strapped by at school and deep emerald eyes overflowing with joy arises in her mind. Her brother found his warmth, his consolation, and his person to be miserable with, the misery is one sided really, all packed into one gift, all packed into his special flower.

Her heart itself yearns for friendship but despite how kind the pretty girl from the rich lane may be, she is her brother's friend and not hers.

"But life is funny, its jokes aren't very nice though, not to me" she whispers softly, wiping where her previous tears once reigned.

The door begins to be pounded on again with fists as hard as iron, they even make the old wooden door shake.

"Let me in right this moment freak, that's was my slice of bread you good for nothing scum!" the person roars with a voice drowning in anger.

She cringes, curls up as tight as she can, whispering prayers to any deity that may hear her voice, her wish.

As an answer to her prayer she finds herself consumed by a day dream of a wonderful place, a kitchen smelling of cookies, a mother rushing towards her with warm, ready to embrace arms, a father who twirls her in the air, who laughs, who smiles continuously, who wouldn't lay a finger on her, not at all, and a brother who finally invites her to play. She becomes so consumed; she doesn't feel the fists that follow after the door is kick open by a rampaging wild monster. She doesn't hear the words laced in hate screamed, roared at her. She feels only the love she can only gain from a day dream.

When the monster finally retreats back to his den below to swallow and drown in liquor, she arrives back to reality. The pain hits her first, followed by a river of tears but she smiles, through the pain and hurt of a love her father never returned, because she hopes maybe he does care. Maybe her mother is down in the den growling, chastising the monster until he transforms into a father, her father, from his stage as a wild beast. Maybe her brother would return home, maybe he would embrace tightly and whisper soft words of comfort to her.

Life is funny, she decides as she slides slowly beneath the sheets very carefully because of her wounds, but there is always hope. Though hope goes, and abandons her in her time of need, it always returns.

The sun rises in the morning sky and she finds after a few blinks she is awake. Half of her body basking in the glorious sunlight and the other remaining withered in the shadows that lurked in the corners of her room.

She uncurls her body, and twists out of the tangles of sheets. Her stomach throbs like a heartbeat while her head pounds achingly. She rolls her shirt up to see her black and purple skin and can't help the sob that escapes her lips.

The floorboards creak as she tries to quietly manoeuvre to her brother's room, and once she comes to his door she softly pushes it open.

But he wasn't there; in his place was a note.

_Bells, if you find this I am with Lily at the park._

_Please don't tell mum and dad, find any excuse._

_Please toss this note away._

_From Severus,_

_P.s beneath my mattress is an apple and a slice of bread. Courtesy of Lily, _

_It has your favourite jam strawberry._

_I'll be back later._

She returned to her room, scoffing down the food as fast as she can, and tears the note into tiny pieces before sliding underneath the floorboard in her room.

She missed her brother, ever since he left for Hogwarts last year he hasn't been as close to her as he was once before. She missed him terribly.

But this year would be her year to go to Hogwarts.

She had her gear stashed in a suitcase beneath her bed, read the books more than she could count, and even cleaned her uniform continuously until it appeared spick and span. The old uniform even looked new unlike Severus' to her delight.

Two days were left.

Then she would be boarding the train.

She made her way downstairs and found her mother swinging back in forth on the old rocking chair with her lifeless eyes burning holes into the wall.

"Mum, mum, it's me Bellona. Do you want a slice of bread? I'm sure there is marmalade" Bellona whispers, her hopeful eyes staring yearningly into her dark midnight eyes, the ones she inherited unlike her brother who resembled their father very much.

The rocking continued, so she quickly set out to make her mother some breakfast, and when she was done. After carefully tiding up, she placed it on her mother's lap.

"I'm going outside to play mum, I will be back before the birds sing goodnight and the sun leaves the sky. I love you" Bellona whispers, smiling gleefully as her mother consumes the slice of bread. She reaches up onto the tips of her toes and places a soft kiss on both of her cheeks.

_"I love you too,"_ she imagines her mum replying with a wide smile, _"don't be out too late my sweet Bells."_

Rushing as quietly as she could upstairs she changes into an old, flowery dress she found in the lost and found at her old primary school. She brushed through her hair the best as she could with her fingers and tied it with a rubber band into a pony-tail. After she finished she made her way out of the house stealthily to avoid the monsters that still lurks in the den, sleeping. Her sides ached from the rush but the smile on her face shows her much appreciated victory.

"Sev, Sev" she calls as she meanders towards the small park beside a stream. Almost floating joyfully over the stream she came to a familiar tree. As she peeks around the tree she finds her brother pushing his flower on the swing.

Her laughter sounds like the chiming small churches bell, loud, beautiful, and filled with some sincere warmth.

She shyly trails towards them, fidgeting, and playing nervously with her fingers. Severus never really liked to share his flower with her, or any one including his flower's own sister.

Her sister is a tainted flower, the purity tainted by jealousy and bitterness, a flower corrupted by reality. Her jealousy is as green as her own younger sister's eyes.

"Bells," Lily calls and waves enthusiastically, "Come over and play with us."

Bellona stops beside Severus who eyes her a little disdainfully until her notices a bruise forming on her collar bone the shape of a hand, or really the monsters big paw.

His fists clench and his eyes fill with an angry rage that reminds her of the glint in the monster's eyes, she sometimes fears the monster lurked in her brother. She hopes it doesn't.

Lily notices his expression darken and stops swinging. Once the swing comes to a halt she leaps off gracefully. "What's wrong Sev," her eyes trail to the blemish on Bellona's collar bone and her own eyes harden, they certainly resemble emeralds now.

"He… When, why, he shouldn't hit you, he can't be allowed too, he," fury makes him shake and Bellona quickly uses the collar to cover the blemish.

"It's not dad Sev, it's the monster, dad loves us but the monster takes over dad and that's why" she explains to her brother, her eyes darting to the ground in shame when she sees pity in Lily's eyes.

"He doesn't love us, he is the monster, and he will never love us Bellona. Why won't you ever understand that? He is the monster, he hates us, and he is not a real dad" Severus cries out in rage, fisting his hair in anger before he starts pacing wildly.

Her lip begins to tremble and fat tears leak from her eyes. "He does, and if he doesn't he will. He will Sev, him and mum. They will love us and we will be a good family, a happy family. We will always laugh, we will have roast chicken every day and we will, we will, we will love each other and he won't ever again hurt me, he will love me, he will only hug me, he will, mum will, they, they will" a sob erupts from her lips and soon she bursts into hysterical tears which leave her heaving oxygen in for her own survival.

"2 days" Severus whispers and he watches Lily embrace his sister's tiny form. The bubbling rage emerges once more but it simmers at the thought of Hogwarts.

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**I have work today so this chapter is short but I vow, here and now, that the other chapters will be much longer. I know reviewing can be agonising and annoying, I am guilty of forgetting or not being bothered to review, but please review. **


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